Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari said on Monday that West Bengal witnessed a consolidation of Hindus, as the saffron party crossed the halfway mark in the state as per initial trends. He further said the Muslims have not voted for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) the way they did in the previous elections.
Speaking to news agency ANI, the incumbent Leader of Opposition in West Bengal further said he is sure that the saffron party will form the government in the state. Adhikari, who is party's candidate from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, further asserted that he will win from the two assembly constituencies.
"This time there's a Hindu consolidation, and the way Muslims vote for TMC, they have not done that this time. Some votes have gone to the pro-Muslim party. BJP has also got some in small amounts," Adhikari said.
"There is anti-incumbency, plus Hindus are consolidated in favour of Lotus. This is a very good signal for us... There has also been a Muslim vote bifurcation, especially in Malda, Mushidabad and Uttar Dinajpur," he added.
As of now, the BJP has already crossed the majority mark of 148 in West Bengal, where there are a total of 294 seats. By the time this story was filed, the saffron party was leading on 180 seats, while Banerjee's party is ahead on 111 seats.
In the previous elections in 2021, the BJP had won 77 seats, while the TMC received a two-third majority and won 215 assembly constituencies.
Coming to the 2026 West Bengal elections, the polling here was held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with the state recording a voter turnout of 92.47 per cent, which was the highest since Independence, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The BJP had fielded candidates on all 294 seats, while the TMC contested on 291 constituencies. Its allies Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led by Anit Thapa, fielded candidates in three seats in the Darjeeling Hills.
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